§ 4. The Seven Mysterious Orisons

SUNDAY

Pater noster, &c. Deliver me, O Lord, I beseech Thee, me even, thy creature, N., from all evils Past, present and to come, whether of body or soul; grant me peace and health in Thy goodness; incline favourably unto me, Thy creature, by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of Thy holy apostles, Peter, Paul, Andrew and of all the saints. Vouchsafe peace unto Thy creature, and health during all my life, so that, strengthened by the mainstay of Thy mercy, I may never be the slave of sin, nor go in fear of any trouble, through the same Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Saviour, Who, being truly God, liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Spirit for ever and ever, Amen. May the peace of the Lord be always with me, Amen. May that peace, O Lord, which Thou didst leave to Thy disciples abide ever with power in my heart, standing always between me and my enemies, both visible and invisible, Amen. May the Peace of the Lord, His countenance, His body, His blood, assist, console and protect me, Thy creature, N., in my soul and my body, Amen. Lamb of God, Who didst deign to be born of the Virgin Mary, Who didst cleanse the world from its sins upon the Cross, have pity on my soul and my body. O Christ, Lamb of God, immolated for the salvation of the world, have Pity on my soul and my body. Lamb of God, by Whom all the faithful are saved, give unto me Thy peace, to remain with me for ever, both in this life and that which is to come, Amen.

MONDAY

O great God, by Whom all things have been set free, deliver me also from all evil. O great God, Who hast granted Thy

consolation unto all beings, grant it even unto me. O great God, Who hast succoured and assisted all things, aid me also; succour me in all my necessities and miseries, my enterprises and dangers; deliver me from all the hindrances and snares of my enemies, both visible and invisible, in the Name of the Father Who created the whole world ✠, in the Name of the Son Who hath redeemed it ✠, in the name of the Holy Ghost Who hath fulfilled the entire law in its Perfection. I cast myself utterly into Thine arms, and place myself unreservedly under Thy holy protection, Amen. May the blessing of God the Father Almighty, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, be always with me ✠, Amen. May the blessing of God the Father, Who by His only Word hath made all things, be with me for ever ✠, Amen. May the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the great living God, be with me for ever ✠, Amen. May the blessing and Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit be with me for ever ✠, Amen. May the blessing of the Virgin Mary, and of her Son, be with me for ever, Amen.

TUESDAY

May the blessing and consecration of the bread and of the wine, which our Lord Jesus Christ made when He gave them to His disciples and said unto them: Take and eat ye all of this, for this is My body which shall be delivered for you, in remembrance of Me and for the remission of all sins--be with me for ever ✠. May the blessing of the Holy Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Thrones, Dominations, Cherubim and Seraphim, be with me for ever ✠, Amen. May the blessing of the Patriarchs and prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and of all the saints of God, be with me for ever ✠, Amen. May the blessing of all the heavens of God be with me for ever ✠, Amen. May the majesty of God Omnipotent sustain and protect me; may His eternal goodness lead me; may His boundless charity

inflame me; may His supreme Divinity direct me; May the Power of the Father preserve me; may the wisdom of the Son enliven me; may the virtue of the Holy Ghost stand always between me and my enemies, both visible and invisible. Power of the Father, strengthen me; wisdom of the Son, enlighten me; consolation of the Holy Ghost, comfort me. The Father is peace, the Son is life, the Holy Ghost is the consoling and saving remedy, Amen. May the Divinity of God bless me, Amen. May His Piety warm me; may His love preserve me. O Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have Pity upon me a Poor sinner.

Enlighten mine, eyes with true light, that they may never be closed in eternal sleep, lest mine enemy should say: I have prevailed over him. So long as the Lord is with me, I will not fear for malice of my enemies. O most sweet Jesus, preserve me, aid me, save me; at the Name of Jesus let every knee bow, in heaven, on earth and in hell, and let every tongue confess openly that Jesus Christ is in the glory of His Father, Amen. I know beyond doubt that in what day soever I shall call upon the Lord, in the same hour shall I be saved. O most sweet Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the great living God, Thou hast Performed most mighty miracles by the sole power of Thy most precious Name, and hast enriched the poor most abundantly, so that by force thereof the demons flee away, the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk erect, the dumb speak, the lepers are cleansed, the sick cured, the dead raised up; for wheresoever the most sweet Name of Jesus is pronounced, the ear is ravished and the mouth is filled with Pleasant savour; at that one utterance, I repeat, the demons take flight, every knee is bent, all temptations, even the worst, are scattered, all infirmities are healed, all disputes and conflicts between the world, the flesh and the devil are ended, and the soul is filled with every heavenly delight; for whosoever invoketh or shall invoke this Holy Name of God is and shall be saved--even by this Holy Name, pronounced by the angel even before His conception in the womb of the Holy Virgin.

FRIDAY

O sacred Name, Name which strengthens the heart of man, Name of life, of salvation, of joy, precious Name, resplendent, glorious, agreeable Name, which fortifies the sinner, Name

which saves, conserves, leads and rules all. May it Please Thee, therefore, most Precious Jesus, by the Power of this same (Name of) Jesus, to drive away the demon from me; enlighten me, O Lord, for I am blind; remove my deafness; set me upright, who am tame; give me speech, who am dumb; cleanse my leprosy; restore me to health, who am sick; raise me up, for I am dead; give me life once more, and enrich me in all my Parts, within and without, so that, furnished and fortified by Thy Holy Name, I may abide always in Thee, Praising and honouring Thee, because all is due to Thee, and Thou only art worthy to be glorified, the Lord and Eternal Son of God, in Whom all things rejoice, and by Whom all are governed. Praise, honour and glory, be given Thee for ever and ever, Amen. May Jesus be always in my heart and in my breast, Amen. May our Lord Jesus Christ be ever within me, may He establish me for ever, may He be around me and preserve me; may He be before me and lead me; may He be behind me and guard me; may He be above me and bless me; may He be within me and give me life; may He be near me and rule me; may He be beneath me and fortify me; may He be always with me and deliver me from all the Pains of eternal death, Who liveth and reigneth for ever and ever, Amen.

SATURDAY

Jesus, Son of Mary, salvation of the world, may the Lord look favourably upon me, with mildness and propitiation; may He give me a holy and willing spirit, to respect and honour Him only, Who is the Liberator of the World. On Him could .no one lay hand, for His hour was not yet come-He Who is, Who was, Who shall remain, God and man, the beginning and the end. May this Prayer which I offer unto Him deliver me eternally from my enemies, Amen. Jesus of Nazareth, King

of the Jews, honourable title, Son of the Virgin Mary, have pity upon me, a poor sinner, and lead me, according to Thy loving-kindness, in the way of eternal salvation, Amen. Now Jesus, knowing what things must come to pass concerning Him, came forward and said unto them: Whom seek ye? They answered Him: Jesus of Nazareth. But Jesus said unto them: I am He. And Judas, who was to deliver Him, was with them. As soon then as He had said unto them: I am He, they fell backward upon the earth. Then asked He them again: Whom seek ye? And they said: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered: I have told you that I am He; if therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way (speaking of His disciples). The lance, the nails, the cross ✠, the thorns, the death which I have endured, prove that I have effaced and expiated the crimes of the unfortunate. Preserve me. O Lord Jesus Christ, from all afflictions of Poverty and from the snares of my enemies. May the five wounds of our Lord be unto me an everlasting remedy. Jesus is the Way ✠, Jesus is the Life ✠, Jesus is the Truth ✠, Jesus has suffered ✠, Jesus has been crucified ✠, Jesus, Son of the living God, have Pity on me ✠. Now, Jesus passing went through the midst of them, and no one could place his murderous hand upon Jesus, because His hour was not yet come.

While these prayers are in some respects curious enough, and may not be unreasonably termed pure and simple by their intention, they compare unfavourably with the sublimity and good sense which characterise those of the Roman Liturgy; they are inexact in their references and confused in their method, and no person who seriously considers them will sustain the early date which is claimed for them. Their period is subsequent to the Renaissance, and the ignorance of liturgical formulæ which they shew, in common with all